The wearable computer market is rapidly expanding, and could grow even faster, if technology advances continue and consumers embrace these “fashionable” productivity tools. Two major wearable computer (or portable data collection devices) form factors are belt/head-worn products that typically come equipped with a head-mounted display and headset microphone and/or tablet display, and wrist/finger-worn devices, that are usually associated with a bar code scanner and a voice or touchscreen interface.
Such portable data collection devices are widely used in manufacturing, service, and package delivery industries to perform a variety of on-site data collection activities, including integrated bar code dataform readers adapted to read bar code dataforms affixed to products, product packaging and/or containers in warehouses, retail stores, shipping terminals, etc., for inventory control, tracking, production control and expediting, quality assurance and a wide variety of other purposes.
A portable finger-worn scanning device called a “ring” scanner enhances data capture in environments by extending data collection capabilities beyond traditional parcel and baggage processing, warehouse order picking and inventory applications to grab data at any point of activity, e.g., indoor and outdoor environments such as scanning lift tickets at a ski slope, ticket scanning for concert and event admittance . . . .
The wearables market could be larger still, however, should additional technical hurdles common to such small collection devices be overcome. Such point-of-activity applications are more demanding in that the scanning device must not only be small, but the unit electronics must to be sealed against the most extreme weather conditions. Additionally, to ensure that bar codes and other dataforms can and are scanned successfully from different angles, the operator is provided feedback in the form of visual and/or audible signals.
For example, ergonomic, mechanical, and electrical concerns need to be addressed in the ring scanner. Ergonomic concerns revolve around the mechanical design of the placement of the light source (e.g., LEDs) for visual feedback to the user, and the audio transducer could not be located in an ideal area to be heard. Mechanical concerns include sealing of the collection device to ratings sufficient to protect the electronics and the user. Such stringent requirements would make housing of an effectively loud audio transducer extremely difficult due to watertight sealing concerns. Electrical concerns include the overall physical volume of the audio transducer that is many times greater than any other typical components used in such a design. Consequently, it becomes even more problematic for the user to perceive device operation via audible and visual indicators from the scanner housing, and the designer to incorporate such indicators in the scanner housing.
Thus, there remains a need for a portable data collection device of a reduced form factor that can successfully scan dataforms yet provide device operation indicators and alerts perceivable to the user.